Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 213 Manila Military Academy

After Prime Minister Li Hezhang left, Deputy Chief of Staff He Xian walked in quietly with two documents, bowed and reported:
"Your Majesty,

We just received news that the captain of the American ship USS Rover and others have landed in Hengchun, southern Taiwan, with the intention of occupying the area, colonizing it, and enslaving the Chinese people.

In the midst of public outrage, thirteen people were killed by the local Gaoshan people, and only one Chinese sailor escaped. The white captain of the American ship also died in the civil unrest.

This is a request from the Ministry of Military Affairs. What should we do?"

"Taiwan Island is under the jurisdiction of a foreign country, so just keep an eye on it." Zheng Guohui sat on the palace-style sofa where he had just had tea and gave the instructions in a light tone.

"Your Majesty, we will obey your command," He Xian replied, picking up a second document and asking for instructions. "This is the request for assistance from Prince Abdullah Said of the Sultanate of Selangor, requesting military assistance."

"Well, leave it there."

"Your Highness, I will obey your command."

He Xian bowed respectfully again, placed the two documents on the imperial desk, took two steps back, turned around and left, his footsteps light and silent.

The tree wants to be still but the wind doesn’t stop!
Zheng Guohui didn't bother to take a look. He was fed up with these things.

While the entire Hainan Islands was undergoing rapid development and construction, the surrounding countries were experiencing turmoil. Some were plotting to usurp the throne, some were seeking to take advantage of the situation, some were bullying the weak, and some were experiencing internal strife. All were in a precarious situation.

The Americans are not good people. They have been coveting Taiwan for more than three or five years.

As early as the 27th year of the Daoguang reign, the United States had sent ships to Taiwan several times to survey coal mines, measure ports, etc., pretending to contact local officials.

Without authorization from the imperial court, the local government would naturally not give these Americans a good face.

This "Love Ship Incident" will cause considerable turmoil in the future.

soon

The U.S. Consul in Xiamen, Li Xiande, would use the merchant ship incident as an excuse to lead warships to retaliate, but was repelled.

In early May of the following year, the United States sent two sailing warships from afar to attack Taiwan Island. More than 180 American soldiers landed at Wangqiao and launched a surprise attack.

The local Gaoshan people took advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and attacked the U.S. military, killing their leading white officer, severely injuring U.S. officers and soldiers, and driving them to the seaside.

The American invasion of Taiwan was declared a failure and was never mentioned again.

From then on, he changed his ways and pretended to be a good person.

In fact, it is not that the Americans do not want to get involved in the Chinese mainland, but their strength is far from enough to support their ambitions.

A transoceanic expedition is extremely costly, and with the vast Pacific Ocean 12000 kilometers wide, the Americans can only devote very limited resources.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was impressed by this incident and believed that standing idly by was the best approach.

The Americans have been itching to take over the Southeast Asian region since they saw others conquering cities and territories, with Britain, France, the Netherlands and Chu all occupying large tracts of land. Sooner or later, they will reach out to reap the benefits.

Even if he hits his head and bleeds, he will know that it is not that simple.

For the common people in mainland China today, the attack on Peking by the British and French powers was the imperial court's business, and ordinary people had nothing to do with it.

But if you want to attack my hometown, we will fight you to the death.

The British had already suffered setbacks in this regard, and their attacks on Guangzhou Prefecture had repeatedly failed, so they wisely chose to retreat and settle for the next best thing.

As for the request for assistance from the Sultanate of Selangor, just read it and don't reply.

The British have intervened in this matter, making the situation on the Malay Peninsula more complicated. The various princely kingdoms on the peninsula have taken sides and formed two opposing camps.

If you support one side, you will inevitably offend the other side.

In 1857, Ali, the ruler of the Selangor Sultanate, died and his eldest son Mutahir succeeded to the throne. However, he was opposed by his second son Wan Ahmad, and the two began a war for the throne that lasted for many years.

The specific process can be regarded as a fight between two noobs.

The eldest son who succeeded to the throne, Mutar, sought the support of Johor Temenggong Ibrahim, while the rebellious second son, Prince Ahmad, sought the support of the Sultan of Muar, Terengganu and Kelantan.

I guess it's not messy enough.
Sultan Mahmud of Riau Island was deposed by the Dutch and his territory was occupied by the Dutch. When he was on the run, they jumped out to interfere.

He claimed the right to inherit the Riau-Johor Kingdom on the east coast. He was on good terms with Ahmad of Selangor and had the support of Siam, giving him the right to inherit the throne.

The whole situation is in a mess. There are already three claimants to the throne of the Sultan of Selangor. Several princely states and Siam have joined the battle. The question is, is it really a mess?
It's a mess anyway, whoever wants to care can do it, but Da Chu will not get involved in this mess anyway.

Rest for a while
Zheng Guohui walked to the imperial desk and began to review the documents. He had a simple meal in the East Pavilion at noon and took a short rest. Then he went to the Manila Army Academy in the afternoon.

The Manila Army College is located on the south bank of the Pasig River. It was originally the Holy Trinity College, a seminary that mainly studied Catholic doctrine. Almost two-thirds of the class time was spent on studying religious theology, and the remaining class time was spent on answering questions.

Students can ask questions, but the priest may not answer them, and they may even be punished.

National Day celebrations are approaching
New recruits and veterans from the Cavite Peninsula gathered together and were mainly stationed in two places: the Manila Army Academy and the newly built Fort Santiago.

Compared to the troublesome affairs of government, Zheng Guohui preferred to stay with the soldiers. When the guards escorted the king to the Army Academy, the officers and soldiers who had already lined up were all excited, greeted His Majesty with respectful and fiery eyes, and shouted in unison;

"The First Expeditionary Division of the Great Chu Army respectfully welcomes Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!"

"The Second Expeditionary Division of the Great Chu Army respectfully welcomes Your Majesty. Wherever the royal army goes, it will be victorious."

"Be loyal to His Majesty, be loyal to the kingdom, value honor above all else, and obey orders as your utmost duty."

Zheng Guohui stood in an open carriage, reviewing the orderly formation with high morale, waving frequently. Amid the thunderous shouts of the soldiers, the royal carriage entered the academy.

A group of army generals and academy directors had already been waiting there to greet him. The carriage stopped, King Zheng Guohui of Chu got off, and the officers all raised their hands to salute.

In the early days
The King of Chu issued Royal Decree No. 33;
An order is issued to the entire army: the "Regulations on Etiquette, Protocol, Formal Wear, Etiquette, Salute and Celebration of the Army and Navy of the Great Chu Kingdom" will be implemented from now on, and all previous old rituals will be abolished. This is my decree.

All the Chu army, whether it is the army or the navy, perform the military salute. The military salute is: raise the right hand, raise the right arm horizontally to the chest, and put the five fingers together at the side of the eyebrow.

In the military, there are other regulations regarding gun salutes and attentive salutes, which I will not go into detail here.

The previous court rituals of bowing, kneeling, touching shoulders, etc. were all abolished.

"Your Majesty, Qian Jiang, the commander of the First Expeditionary Division under the King of Chu, reports to you and respectfully requests the Imperial Decree."

"Your Majesty, He Rulin, commander of the Second Expeditionary Division under the King of Chu, reports to you and respectfully requests the Imperial Decree."

"Your Majesty, Huang Shan, commander of the Third Expeditionary Division under the King of Chu, reports to you and respectfully requests the Imperial Decree."

"Your Majesty, all officers and soldiers of the Manila Army Academy report to you and respectfully request the imperial edict." Colonel Zheng Jialiang, Colonel Tao Jingzhi and Colonel Robert said in unison.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu stepped down from his carriage, raised his hand in return, and nodded with a smile as he faced the crowd, saying, "The best and brightest soldiers and generals of our great Chu army have gathered here. It can be said that our generals are shining, and our troops are strong and powerful."

"The Great Chu army is ready to obey your majesty's call at any time. We will advance wherever the troops are pointed and will never retreat. We will defend the royal dignity to the death." The officers answered in unison.

This is the usual standard answer in the army. The admonition of King Zheng Guohui of Chu is:
"In this army, this king does not need any ideas and does not accept any dissent."

"This army needs only one voice, only absolute obedience. They only need to follow the orders of this king, the king that all soldiers defend with their lives and honor."

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu arrived at the army, he felt very good. As he walked, he said, "Well, let's go over and take a look. How are the results of these days' training?"

"We will obey the Holy Order."

A group of senior military officers surrounded King Zheng Guohui of Chu and walked towards the reviewing stand.

At this moment

The officers and soldiers who had gone out to line up to greet them had already run back at the command of the grassroots commander. The neat queues were like a long snake, heading towards the direction of the large playground.

The orderly footsteps sounded like dull drumbeats, which invisibly aroused the passion and sincere pride of the young soldiers. The vigorous youth blossomed in the army, which was a deep memory that could never be erased in a lifetime.

At the Manila Army Academy

Colonel Zheng Jialiang, Colonel Tao Jingzhi and Colonel Robert are all vice-presidents, responsible for organizing daily training and miscellaneous affairs, and keeping the military academy in good order.

With the experience of the Jinling Military Academy, the Army Academy launched a number of military education courses on the basis of daily loyalty education and military honor education, implemented full military management, and implemented it very smoothly.

Colonel Zheng Jialiang was originally one of the four major staff members. He had been in charge of general affairs in Jinling City, Chongming Island and other places. Half a year ago, he was ordered to go to Southeast Asia and brought with him more than 470 students from the second phase of the Jinling Military Academy who were still undergoing military education.

The experience of sailing to the South Seas was just the right time to practice long-distance training, and at the same time, a number of battlefield training subjects were implemented, which greatly enriched the organizational experience of the second-term students.

some of

The King of Chu's third brother, Zheng Guoyao, was also among them. This boy had obviously grown taller, darker, and thinner, but he was more energetic and calmer.

The trace of dandy air he had originally had was completely washed away, and he integrated into the army and became resolute.

Zheng Guoyao used the alias Zheng Yao. Among the students of the second term of Jinling Military Academy, no one knew that he was the third brother of His Majesty the King of Chu. He was just an ordinary student.

Only the college's top brass knew his true identity, and they could only watch silently.

Colonel Zheng Jialiang is in charge of the overall management of the college, Colonel Tao Jingzhi is in charge of logistics, Colonel Robert is in charge of military training, and the three vice presidents each have their own division of labor.

The president of the Manila Military Academy is naturally the King of Chu, Zheng Guohui, who is the most qualified person to take charge.

in this era

The relationship between master and apprentice is very close. The father’s grace of raising the child is as great as the master’s grace of teaching the child, which is no less than the former.

These young officers who graduated from the Manila Army Academy are all sons of King Chu and his personal soldiers. The bond of this inheritance is extremely deep.

Zheng Guohui personally took the lead as the president of the Manila Army Academy, which invisibly and virtually made these young officers feel extremely honored. No wonder those fiery and respectful eyes could really melt people.

(End of this chapter)